May 5, 2009 - Posted by Jessica Paquette
Congress is considering two bills that will give federal recognition to seven Native American tribes who have long sought recognition. The House Committee on Natural Resources approved both bills a few weeks ago by voice vote, sending them to the full House of Representatives for a vote.
There are currently 562 federally recognized tribes in the U.S. Federal recognition establishes a government-to-government relationship between the federal government and the tribe. Federally recognized tribes are eligible for federal assistance programs that fund initiatives like schools and health clinics and their lands, which are sometimes held in trusts by the U.S. government, are exempt from state and local jurisdiction.
The Lumbee tribe, located in Robeson County, N.C., was recognized by the state of North Carolina as American Indians in 1884. In 1956, Congress recognized them as American Indians, but they did not receive the full benefits of federal recognition.
The Chickahominy Indian Tribe, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe-Eastern Division, the Upper Mattaponi Tribe, the Rappahannock Tribe, the Monacan Indian Nation, and the Nansemond Indian Tribe, all located in Virginia, received recognition from the state of Virginia in 1983. There are currently no federally recognized tribes in Virginia.
Federal recognition is usually handled by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, however, the process is difficult. One of the bureau's criteria for recognition is that tribes prove that they've been recognized as group or community of American Indians for a century, which is very hard for most tribes because states haven't always classified them as American Indians. For instance, members of the Virginia tribes were classified as "colored" in the 1920s.
Because the Lumbee tribe were partially recognized in 1956, full recognition must come from Congress.
Categories: Indigenous Peoples
